Former University of Utah athletes Dick Bennion (tennis and track), Bill Kinner (basketball), Jill Molen Koeven (track and cross country) and Danny Vranes (basketball) will be inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame May 12 at the annual Crimson Club Hall of Fame/Senior Awards Banquet.
Ute senior athletes will also be honored.The banquet will be at the Doubletree Hotel (formerly the Red Lion) and is open to the public. Cost is $27 per person and reservations can be made by calling 585-UTES (8837). The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. dinner and program.
Bennion developed a legacy at the University of Utah - one that lasted through two sports and three sons. The Bennion legacy began with Dick as a tennis and track star and continued with sons Rick, Scott and Bill on the tennis court.
As a freshman, in 1934, Dick and doubles partner Gordon Evans went through the college season undefeated. During the next three seasons Bennion won a total of seven conference championships as well as being named a three-time winner of the Andrew Kerr Award.
A prolific scorer, Kinner played for the Utes from 1932-1936. He used his patented hook shot to lead the West Division in scoring for two seasons and was the leading scorer in the conference during the 1934-35 campaign.
He was named to the Associated Press all-Rocky Mountain team four straight years and became the Utes first consensus All-American selection in 1936.
At the 1981 AIAW National Cross Country Championships, the 5-foot-7, 108-pound Koeven was the pre-race favorite. She was tripped up in the first 200 yards of the race, fell and was nearly trampled by the field. She got up and finished fifth to gain All-American honors.
As a junior she clocked the eighth fastest time in the world in the 10,000 meters, earning an invitation to the Olympic Trials, where she placed sixth. As a senior Koeven won six All-American citations. She placed third in the 10,000 meters and sixth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships.
Vranes was a three-time all-WAC selection and was named to All-American teams after both his junior and senior seasons. He played on three U.S. National teams. Vranes finished his Ute career as the seventh leading scorer in school history with 1,701 points and fifth best rebounder with a total of 951. His .584 career field goal percentage is a school record. His number 23 was retired in 1981.
Vranes was the fifth player taken in the 1981 NBA Draft. He played seven years in the NBA with Seattle and Philadelphia. He was named to the NBA all-defensive second team in 1985.